The National Cherry Blossom Festival kicks off March 20. This national and international celebration of spring, cherry blossoms and the culture of Japan runs through April 14 with festivities throughout the city.

Live Green and Repax are teaming up this March to organize the largest community clothing drive in DC’s history. The drive, which benefits Goodwill, commenced on March 19 at various locations around the city and will conclude on April 21 at Green Rush, Live Green’s Earth Day scavenger hunt.

Starting March 1, all red top meter parking patrons who do not display a valid disabled placard or license plate or who do not pay the established meter rates throughout the District of Columbia will be subject to ticketing or towing.

The Nighttime Economy Summit was held at The Hamilton, Downtown’s new 24-hour restaurant and entertainment venue, which opened last month. “Let’s commit to do something this year,” urged D.C. Council chairman Kwame Brown.

“Our vision is that we go out of business,” says our July Player, Father John Adams, president of So Others Might Eat (SOME). Adams is the only D.C. leader Bob Madigan and I have interviewed who speaks hopefully of the demise of his organization. And a glance around – inside the O Street building where we sit that provides medical and psychiatric care and across the street to the dining room that serves about 900 meals each day – illustrate the huge vacuum were even two of the 40 SOME facilities to disappear.

There’s the tireless advocate for the restaurant industry who has raised the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington – and area restaurants - to a sky-high profile. There’s the RAMW president who is passionate, effective and likeable as she works with the DC Council and Congress.

The 10-acre CityCenterDC mixed-use development, now under construction at the Old Convention Center site, will create new retail for Downtown and D.C. CityCenterDC will anchor much of the $600 million in unmet shoppers’ goods retail demand.

You can stop asking when. On Memorial Day, Serendipity 3 officially opened its doors at the busy intersection of Wisconsin Avenue and M Street, May 30, to customers who quickly discovered they had to wait to get a table in the packed restaurant, once home to the famed Nathans.

The Citizens Association of Georgetown met May 17 at Dumbarton House on Q Street to elect its officers, hand out its community awards and hear from Ward 2 Councilman Jack Evans, who discussed the Mayor's proposed budget and his own opposition to tax increases.

This Friday, Hardy Middle School announced in a letter that a new principal has been selected. Dr. Mary Stefanus comes from St. Louis, Missouri, where she was principal at Hixson Middle School in Missouri for 11 years

During the past few days, Washington D.C. Fire and Rescue crews have been busy with a series of rescues from the Potomac River. This Tuesday, a man fell into the river from a ten-foot ledge at Georgetown Waterfront Park.

The ward redistricting committee has released a map and a report that makes a number of changes to ward boundaries, including moving Shaw east of 9th St. from Ward 2 into Ward 6, excluding the Convention Center, and putting Penn Quarter back in Ward 2.

Health care reform is well underway in the District. Many have been working on creating exchanges, developing medical home models, discovering changes to home and community based services and thinking through medical system changes.

The sentencing for a Maryland woman charged in a fatal crash in Adams Morgan last year has been postponed after the judge presiding over the case recused himself. Chamica Adams, of Mitchellville, Md., will be sentenced for involuntary manslaughter stemming from the Sept. 8 incident.

On Wednesday June 1 from 7 to 10 p.m., Whitman-Walker Health will hold it’s first dance party fundraiser in support of their programs. Held at Room & Board, an American furniture and home furnishings company on 14th St. NW, tickets are $45 a person, which includes a raffle, refreshments, music and dancing.

Two meetings of the D.C. Zoning Commission—May 12 and May 16—dealt with the issues of the D.C. Office of Planning's review of Georgetown University's 2010-2020 campus plan. The Office of Planning calls for the university to house 100 percent of its undergraduate students on campus by fall semester 2016, as well as the university's proposed loop road, which would cut north to south on the west edge of the main campus.

The District's first Shake Shack (there are also locations in Miami, Westport, Ct. and New York) will be located on the corner of Connecticut Avenue and 18th Street, the former site of Fuddruckers. Unlike the original Madison Square Park location, where the owners introduced the Shack Cam to make up for endless lines, the D.C. location will not have a video feed to alert customers of potential lines, Shack spokesperson Theresa Mullen told WTOP.

EastBanc presented its design for a high-end condo complex at 3601-3607 M Street (the gas station property next to the Exorcist stairs) to the Old Georgetown Board, April 7, and was sent back to the drawing board—and then again on May 5. The latest remarks included a stronger rebuff of the design by the local advisory neighborhood commission, which sent a new letter to the OGB.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn, no longer the active managing director of the Washington-based International Monetary Fund, is sitting in New York City's Riker's Island prison, denied bail after being arraigned for the attempted rape and other alleged sexual offenses of a 32-year-old maid on May 15 at a midtown Manhattan hotel near Times Square.

After beginning her first hometown book tour at Bridge Street Books, Carol Ross Joynt will continue by reading selections from her new memoir "Innocent Spouse: A Memoir," answering questions and signing her book on May 22, 5 to 8 p.m., at St. John's Church (3240 O Street, NW).

Felicia Stidham passed away on April 24. Her career spanned from wholesale and retail apparel to owning her own boutique real estate brokerage in D.C. A memorial service was held May 2 at St. John's Church on O Street. She is survived by her brother Steven Plerhoples of Philadelphia.

"We will have a good selection of vendors at the first market of the season with the number growing as the season progresses," said Leslie Wheelock, co-manager of the market. "Customers can expect to find farm fresh produce, meats, eggs, baked goods, quiches, fresh fruits, charcuterie products, jams, garden plants, flowers and dog treats."

Four years ago, member embassies representing the European Union decided to hold open houses for most of their embassies, allowing tourists and residents to come in and visit, meet embassy officials, and share in the cultural offerings and history of the respective countries. Some 70,000 people showed up. The European Union folks then joined up with Cultural Tourism DC to produce Passport DC, now a month-long celebration of international culture and conviviality.

Passport DC, the fourth annual celebration of international culture presented by Cultural Tourism DC, will showcase Washington D.C.'s embassies and cultural organizations with a wide range of performances, talks and exhibits, starting May 7 and running through 24.

The GI Film Festival, coming up from May 9 to 15, presents both classic and premier films that showcase stories of the American Armed Forces and experiences of service members. Held just before Memorial Day weekend, the festival includes 31 film screenings and presentations by award-winning Hollywood actors and directors, as well as panel discussions with soldiers, journalists, authors and filmmakers.

Prospect Street residents whose backyards would be almost level with the top of the proposed Key Bridge Exxon condo on M Street are not feeling the love from their Advisory Neighborhood Commission, to say nothing of the developer EastBanc, which presented its redesign of the project after scrutiny by the Old Georgetown Board at the May 2 ANC meeting.

Leaders of the aging-in-place Georgetown Village met with an overflowing hall of neighbors at the Georgetown Presbyterian Church on P Street on April 26 to discuss their nonprofit service helping elderly neighbors stay in their homes. The group has 57 members pledged and needs 47 more to hit its goal of 100 to get the service up and running.

The Citizens Advisory Council for the Second District of the Metropolitan Police Department will hold its Police Appreciation Luncheon on May 11, "to show the officers and staff of the Second District Police Force how much the community appreciates the work they do protecting our neighborhoods against crime."

Some Georgetown residents have heard loud booms as early as 6:30 a.m. recently. The sounds are from World War 2 era howitzers used for ceremonies at Fort Myer and Arlington Cemetery. Seems the army turned the guns around the other way and pointed them towards D.C. after Arlington residents had been complaining.

In celebration of Mother's Day, The Georgetowner found a new mom who we think exemplifies the Washington experience. WUSA news anchor and DC Moms Like Me blogger Angie Goff balances motherhood with her bustling career and a long distance marriage. Pictured on the cover with daughter Adora, Goff spoke with us about the trials and triumphs of being a Metropolitan mom.

The Georgetown Ministry Center is a small organization that has quietly been making a difference in the Georgetown community for years. They are a unique social service continuing to better the neighborhood they serve, with one main goal: to get the homeless off the streets.

The annual Georgetown House Tour has long marked the start of the social season. Begun by St. John’s Episcopal Church as a program to help those in need, the House Tour has since become one of the most anticipated events of spring. Keeping its stamina throughout the years, the Tour continues to be touched by the hands of those who are passionate about Georgetown and desire to give back to their community.

Dr. Richard Goldberg is a 21st Century Renaissance Man. The Georgetown University Hospital President explores next-generation technology and psychiatry by day, rides motorbikes on his vacations, and reads the classics for fun. At RIS last week, he shared insights that he has gained during 42 years at Georgetown.

You never know what you might find in Georgetown Tobacco, that’s for sure. It’s not the only tobacco shop in the Washington area, but it’s probably the most original one. It is absolutely the most enduring, and it’s one-of-a-kind shop in Georgetown, now celebrating its 47th anniversary.

A robbery at knife point occurred Palm Sunday, April 17, on the 1500 block area of 35th Street, N.W. The following morning, April 18, a robbery at gunpoint occurred on the 3500 block of Winfield Lane, N.W. The reported incidents were less than three blocks apart.

With a few rumors circulating that Serendipity 3 might not open at all after several delays, co-owner Rodrigo Garcia totally denied such talk and said that problems with the venting system were the cause of the latest wait. Garcia showed off the nearly completed interior of Serendipity 3's first floor during an April 18 impromptu tour.

The D.C. Zoning commission met April 14 for the first of three hearings on Georgetown University’s campus plan. Georgetown administrators sat before the commissioners and made their case for the 2010-2020 outline.

Members and guests of the Citizens Association of Georgetown gathered at the House of Sweden (aka the Swedish Embassy) for its April 18 meeting. On hand was Occasions, the city's first certified green caterer.

EastBanc presented its design for a high-end condo complex at 3601-3607 M Street (the gas station property next to the Exorcist stairs) to the Old Georgetown Board, April 7, and was sent back to the drawing board.

Douglas Development Corporation nabbed real estate on the northeast corner of 7th and H Streets near one of the city’s busiest pedestrian intersections and where Douglas redeveloped the historic block of 7th Street between G and H Streets in Chinatown.

Established in 1978, Whitman-Walker Clinic is a non-profit, community-based provider of health care in the Washington metropolitan area. The clinic was recently named Clinic of the Year by the Capital City Area Health Education Center.

DC shadow Senator Michael Brown was one of three arrested in an act of civil disobedience, blocking traffic during a protest outside the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington DC on April 15.

Lives lived in full to the end let us see the real meaning of legacies—passion in action and professionalism as a matter of course and duty. Herewith, we celebrate the lives of three men who embodied those qualities.

From gallery openings to garden tours and early Easter celebrations, here is what’s going on this weekend, straight from the Georgetowner’s online events calendar. TONIGHT APRIL 14, 6:30 pm: Georgetown University will present its 2010 Campus Plan to the DC Zoning Commission. Can't make the meeting? Watch it online from the Zoning Commission's live webcast

400 participants, including 80 military members wounded in Iraq or Afghanistan, others, will take part in "Face of America," a 110-mile bicycle ride, starting April 16 at the steps of the U.S. Capitol and ending on the battlefield of Gettysburg the next day.

On Monday April 4, DC CityCenter broke ground at the site of the former DC convention center. The project is an enormous undertaking for the city, and promises to transform the east end of Downtown. DC Mayor Vincent Gray calls CityCenter,“ one of the most important projects in the history of the District of Columbia.”

Washington Humane Society is taking part in the ASPCA’s “$100K Challenge to Save Lives,” and if they win the money would help them rescue and save more animals than ever before. And they need your online vote to help them win.

Two Georgetown University students were awakened by unknown intruders early Saturday morning, April 9, in their dormitory rooms at the large LXR complex on 35th Street and on N Street. In two separate incidents, one female student woke to find a male stranger next to her; another women woke to a stranger shaking her shoulder and saw him run out of the room. No one was harmed and nothing was stolen.

Steve Ma has made green living simple and efficient in the District. Through his online organization, DC Live Green, Ma has partnered with more than 75 green businesses throughout the city, from restaurants and cleaning services to yoga studios, to give residents easy alternatives and great discounts to eco-friendly living.

"Violent crime is down," Lt. Hitchcock of the Metropolitan Police Department told the April 4 meeting of the ANC 2E. In his police area, "there have been eight robberies in 2011 compared to 11 this time last year," he said. But, he cautioned, property crime has increased.

Politics and Prose came under new owners last week after Barbara Meade and David Cohen, who started the store 27 years ago, decided to sell four months before Cohen's wife, Carla, died in October. Bradley Graham and Lissa Muscatine, both Washington journalism and public policy veterans, will become the store’s new owners later on this spring.

It seems that people cannot fail to be charmed by former Providence, R.I. mayor Vincent "Buddy" Cianci, who held court at Cafe Milano, March 22, as guest of Bill Shields of the National Low Income Housing Coalition and Thomas Quinn, top lobbyist at Venable Partners. Cianci is on a book tour for his memoir, "Politics and Pasta: How I Prosecuted Mobsters, Rebuilt a Dying City, Advised a President, Dined with Sinatra, Spent Five Years in a Federally Funded Gated Community, and Lived to Tell the Tale."

The elephants and clowns and ponies and performers marched through parts of Washington yesterday for an annual parade that signals the arrival of the circus in town and delights hundreds of children and tourist along the road. Leading the way was Jonathan Lee Iverson, the ringmast, decked out in red-white-and-blue and top hat—the man who gets to say the iconic words at the start of each show: “Welcome Children of All Ages to the Greatest Show on Earth.”

As the dreary winter weather bids Washington its final adieu, the Cherry Blossom Festival lifts the spirits of residents and visitors who come to enjoy the official bloom of spring. The Lantern Lighting Ceremony among the Cherry Blossoms, pictured above, signals the arrival of spring. Each year the National Park Service and the National Council of State Societies conduct the Lantern Lighting Ceremony, and the Embassy of Japan appoints a Cherry Blossom Princess for the occasion. With so many things to do in such a short amount of time, here is an events list to help you choose.

In the wake of the destruction and devastation that has hit northern Japan, it might be necessary to take the word “festival” out of the Cherry Blossom Festival. Commemoration might be better, for what has happened to Japan lies like haze over everything in the festival. There is a blanket of sorrow accompanying us all even as we move among the trees that are perhaps the most precisely apt symbol we have on hand.

Check out what’s happening around town this weekend with The Georgetowner’s interactive calendar. Looking for an excuse to get out of the house, or know of an event so exciting you just have to share? You can do both at the Georgetowner.com Calendar.

The heavily disputed Georgetown University Campus Plan came to something of a climax on Thursday, January 20, when a joint meeting was held between the Georgetown, Burleith, and Foxhall Citizens Associations, the ANC 2E Commission, and GU officials.

We last spoke to Jaylee Mead in June 2006. Players Jaylee and husband Gil Mead were then thrilled their $35 million gift to the Arena Stage – the largest donation ever to a regional theater – would be announced in less than a week. The retired NASA scientists inspired us with their deep commitment to the arts, and to each other.

With unemployment on the rise, an increasing number of homeless persons have migrated to the District seeking aid. However, citing a budget crunch, Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells has proposed a bill that will deny shelter to homeless residents from other jurisdictions. The bill will put an end to D.C.’s open-door policy, which makes it illegal to deny anyone access to a shelter once the temperature drops below freezing. Instead, those who can demonstrate proof of a legal D.C. address within the past two years or a record of receiving public assistance will receive preferential treatment.

Capital Fringe Festival’s fall programming is in its second year, and this November, The Shop at Fort Fringe is reprising 10 of its summer hits. Among the more popular shows still running are “Romeo & Juliet: Choose Your Own Ending” (Nov. 10-21), Ridgefield Middle School Talent Night (Nov. 12-21), “This is Your Brain on Rock and Roll” (Nov. 17-21), and “Do Not Kill Me, Killer Robots” (Nov. 17-21).

November 18, 19, and 21, Fathom Gallery is showcasing its first mobile photography exhibit. Hosted by Fathom Creative, the show will feature the work of 10 local mobile photographers. Additionally, there will be several giveaways and plenty of refreshments provided by Church Key DC over the course of the weekend.

This holiday season let your loved ones know how much you appreciate them with the gift of consideration, experience, emotion, and stimulation. It’s worth finding a gift that won’t soon be forgotten. With gifts like these, your loved ones will be thankful all year long. Price tags, labels and fads become obsolete in the presence of individually tailored, experiential endowments. No matter what, remember that a little thought with a touch of sentiment always prevails over the tangible. May the holidays provide you joys that supersede your credit card statement!

More than the usual number of Metropolitan Police Department squad cars and Georgetown University police have been traveling around 35th & Prospect streets as well as parked there, neighbors report. Here are a few crime notes:

John E. Olsson, founder of the beloved and once-famous Olsson’s Books and Records, died Oct. 28 at the age of 78 in Silver Spring. He started his stores in Dupont Circle, eventually controlling a chain of nine shops, the best of which was on Wisconsin Avenue at Prospect Street (near the site of the Apple Computer store).

A Burleith neighborhood group is checking properties for illegal rentals. It has reported what it believes are 134 illegal basement rentals to the DC Department of Consumer & Regulatory Affairs. Property owners without a proper occupation license may face a fine.

Advisory neighborhood commissioner Bill Starrels seems to be a verb, according to a Nov. 11 Georgetown Voice headline. In an editorial, the student newspaper cited the eagle eye of Bill Starrels, who challenged student voters’ eligibility at American University. The newest phrase to enter our lexicon is “Starrelled Down.” Hey, if Sarah Palin can get listed in the Oxford English Dictionary for “refudiate,” why not our own Bill Starrels? “Starrelled Down” just might catch on, but we’re not sure if something
like “Solomoned Up” would.

On Saturday, October 30, John Stewart, the comedian turned major leftwing political pundit, aided by inflammatory satirist sidekick Stephen Colbert, hosted a “Rally To Restore Sanity And/Or Fear” on the National Mall, whose massive audience far exceeded the projected volume of participants. Assumed to be a direct counter to Glenn Beck’s “Rally To Restore Honor,” held August 28th and co-hosted by Sarah Palin, Stewart’s gathering seems to have trumped its predecessor.

Commissioners spoke about the many street closures in Georgetown lately and said they would contact the Mayor’s Special Event Task Force as well as other DC neighborhood groups to see how things could be better coordinated.

Raise a glass, Washingtonians, to Richard McCooey, who celebrates 50 years in the business world this year, and his 80th birthday on October 14th. You likely have dined at his first classics in Georgetown: 1789 Restaurant or The Tombs, now owned by Clyde’s Restaurant Group.

The newly renovated Georgetown Library on R Street is open. On Saturday, Oct. 23, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the library will host a grand opening party. “Fun activities for all ages,” we are told by the D.C. Public Library System.

The Department of Public Works (DPW) has opted to cancel trash and recycling pickup on Thursday, October 21. This is so DPW employees are free to attend the funeral of one of their own, 51-year-old Larry Hutchins.

“I want us to work together, and that’s a concrete thing. I want people from all the wards to work together, to get to know each other. We are facing tremendous challenges but also a great future. We did that on the council, and I have to say I think we have and had a tremendously talented council."

I came to Washington in the mid 1970s, after living ten years in the San Francisco Bay Area, during a turbulent, heady period working on two different daily newspapers. I’ve never quite been able to satisfactorily explain to myself, or people who know me, why I came. Usually, I make a joke about it.

The October meeting of ANC 2E did its best to deal with the unusually high influx of problems facing the community. The first major problem was an unexpected lack of seating accommodation, as the modest-sized Heritage room, in the Georgetown Visitation School, found itself overrun with community members. All present were waiting to hear news regarding police efforts, in response to the recent crime wave, and updates on the Tudor Place preservation plan, among the other orders of business.

Washington National Opera (WNO) saw change last week, in response to General Director Placido Domingo’s September 27 announcement that he would not be renewing his contract when it expires in June. As a result, Tuesday saw the appointment of Philippe Auguin to the position of music director
of the Washington National Opera and the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra.

Vince Gray, in keeping with his mission to share ideas and discuss issues with DC residents as Mayor, will be hosting a series of town hall meetings in every ward of the city to allow people a chance to voice their opinion and have open discussion. Check to see when and where he’s coming to your neighborhood.

October 7 and 8, the District’s most popular street vendors will converge at CityCenterDC for the two-day First Annual Curbside Cookoff. The event is being hosted by the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCRA), in conjunction with the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Brightest Young Things, and the Downtown BID. 20 of DC’s favorite food trucks were invited to participate after a weeklong online voting process. Additionally, all who attend will have a chance to vote for their favorite on-site vendor via paper ballot and text messaging.

The fall season of “National Geographic Live!” events is in full swing, featuring presentations by world-renowned explorers, scientists, photographers and performance artists. The lineup includes concerts, documentary screenings, insightful discussions and more.

The 12th Annual Hyman S. & Freda Bernstein Jewish Literary Festival will run from October 17 to the 27 throughout DC, and as always it promises to highlight the year’s finest Jewish literature and authors. Many of these emerging and established writers earned accolades from The Washington Post and The New York Times. Their selected works span an assortment of genres, including history, humor, politics, and children’s fiction.

That small room in the National Portrait Gallery housing “One Life”, the series of exhibitions begun since the completed renovation of the Reynolds Center, may be one of the biggest rooms in the whole building. “One Life”, after all, attempts to squeeze into a small, square room a summation of an entire American life with a minimum of artifacts, paintings and photographs. Not an easy task when you’re dealing with the previous tenants.

The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, they say. In Vincent Gray’s case, one way to decide to run for mayor of the District of Columbia included a Italian dinner in Georgetown – with some pretty persuasive women

The primary election is over! Congratulations to Vince Gray, who will be the Democratic nominee for Mayor, and to Kwame Brown who will be the nominee to Council Chair. As someone who has been down this road before, I greatly appreciate the hard work and dedication to our city that went into those successful campaigns, and I look forward to working with them on what is best for our entire city.

The recent bed bug epidemic suggests we’re headed for the developing world, but not on the glamorous Orient Express. In fact, as those ever-richer nations show off the new transport and trappings of wealth, we sink further into poverty.

By Tuesday, you might’ve been deceived into thinking nothing had changed in Washington, D.C. Vincent Gray was still sitting in his accustomed Chairman’s seat as the DC Council returned, preparing to tackle ticklish and problematic issues including a looming budget deficit reported at $100 million.

Editor Kate Bennett jumped in at the last minute to replace author Kitty Kelley (tending to a sick friend) as the speaker for the monthly meeting of the Citizens Association of Georgetown on Sept. 20 at the Latham Hotel.

Giant Food has announced plans to move forward with redevelopment of its Wisconsin Avenue site, which will be anchored by a new and expanded approximate 56,000-square-foot Giant supermarket. The new mixed-use project, “Cathedral Commons,” will be a vibrant focal point of the neighborhood to include retail shops, restaurants, commercial and residential space, and open plazas.

After a sound victory over incumbent Adrian Fenty in the Democratic Primary, (almost Mayor) Vincent Gray pledges to unify the city once again and maintains his promise of a transparent administration and an open government. But still no word on what to do with Rhee.

Fenty, Gray, and unlikely candidate Leo Alexander, duke it out for the last time before Tuesday's primary election. The questions ranged from citywide issues to specific concerns about Georgetown's ruthless parking enforcement. Here's your last chance to hear the agendas and political platforms of the city's Mayoral hopefuls.

Plato advised his students about the dangers of forming strong opinions when they were still very young and inexperienced. Duncan Phillips learned this life lesson and went on to be a great promoter of what he originally disparaged.

The recent D.C. Tenants Advocacy Coalition city council candidates forum tried to pack in all the council candidates, including Brown and Orange, into one forum, a process that proved to be both unwieldy and illuminating.

This year, the Georgetown Village project, which would form a kind of local volunteer cooperative to keep an eye on its aging citizens, has been little more than a gleam in the eyes of its founders. That's about to change.

Where the District's 2006 election seemed almost dreamily sleepy and below the radar in the summer months, 2010's race has a daily, electric and strange feel to it, covered almost 24-7 by a blogosphere that never lets up.

David Roffman, only the second publisher in The Georgetowner's history, was recently awarded a lifetime achievement honor by the Georgetown Business Association. Gary Tischler reflects on the man's lasting contributions to the neighborhood.

The year was 1963, and the place was Washington, D.C. In the pop music world, Elvis was the undisputed King, and teenage girls swooned by the thousands when he came on stage. But popular music fans in this country were barely aware of a new musical group called The Beatles, who were taking Great Britain and Europe by storm.